5.1 Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 5 Chapter IT Infrastructure: Hardware and Software

5.1 Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

5Chapter

IT Infrastructure: IT Infrastructure: Hardware and SoftwareHardware and Software

IT Infrastructure: IT Infrastructure: Hardware and SoftwareHardware and Software


STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Essentials of Management Information SystemsEssentials of Management Information SystemsChapter 5 IT Infrastructure: Hardware and SoftwareChapter 5 IT Infrastructure: Hardware and Software

• What are the components of IT infrastructure?

• What are the major computer hardware, data storage, input, and output technologies used in business and major hardware trends?

• What are the major types of computer software used in business and major software trends?

• What are the principal issues in managing hardware and software technology?


Learning TracksLearning Tracks1. How Computer Hardware and Software Work

2. Service Level Agreements

3. Cloud Computing

4. The Open Source Software Initiative

5. The Evolution of IT Infrastructure

6. Technology Drivers of IT Infrastructure

Video CasesVideo CasesCase 1: ESPN.com: Getting to eXtreme Scale On the Web

Case 2: Salesforce.com: SFA on the iPhone and iPod Touch

Case 3: Hudson’s Bay Company and IBM: Virtual Blade Platform

Instructional Video 1: Google and IBM Produce Cloud Computing

Instructional Video 2: IBM Blue Cloud Is Ready-to-Use Computing


VIDEO CASES AND LEARNING TRACKS


The Army Recasts Its IT Infrastructure

• Problem: Multiple costly data centers, networks, and software systems; directive to slash IT budget by 30 percent

• Solutions: Audit existing systems, hardware, and applications.

• Determine which systems should be locally hosted and which hosted by Defense Information Systems agency.

• Apply new technologies for Army IT infrastructure to reduce costs.



• In consolidation of systems

– Virtualization to enable multiple applications to run on the same server, so fewer servers needed overall

– Enhance mobile device systems with appropriate security for officers to use in the field

• Shows how new IT capabilities can help consolidate systems, dramatically lower costs, as well as improve communications







IT Infrastructure: Computer Hardware

• IT infrastructure: provides platform for supporting all information systems in the business• Computer hardware

• Computer software

• Data management technology• Organizes, manages, and processes business data concerned

with inventory, customers, and vendors

• Data centers

• Networking and telecommunications technology

• Technology services • For example: consultants for systems integration with legacy

systems

Infrastructure ComponentsInfrastructure Components



IT Infrastructure ComponentsIT Infrastructure Components


Figure 5-1

A firm’s IT infrastructure is composed of hardware, software, data management technology, networking technology, and technology services.



• Computers come in different sizes with varying capabilities for processing information

• Personal computers

• Mobile devices

• Workstations

• More powerful mathematical and graphics-processing capabilities than a PC

Types of ComputersTypes of Computers




• Servers:

• Support computer network, sharing files and resources.

• Provide hardware platform for e-commerce.

• Mainframes:

• Large-capacity, high-performance computer that can process large amounts of data very rapidly

• For example: used by airlines to handle thousands of reservations per second





• Supercomputer:

• More sophisticated computer used for tasks requiring extremely rapid and complex calculations with thousands of variables, millions of measurements

• Used in engineering, scientific simulations, military/weapons research, weather forecasting

• Grid computing:

• Power of geographically remote computers connected into single network to act as “virtual supercomputer”





• Client/server computing:

• Form of distributed computing

• Splits processing between “clients” and “servers”

• Clients: user point of entry

• Servers: store and process shared data and

perform network management activities





• Client/server computing (cont.):

• Two-tiered client/server architecture

• Uses two types of machines

• Multi-tiered client/server architecture (N-tier)• Balances load of network over several levels

of servers• For example: Web servers and application

servers





Client/Server ComputingClient/Server Computing


Figure 5-2

In client/server computing, computer processing is split between client machines and server machines linked by a network. Users interface with the client machines.



A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-Tier)A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-Tier)


Figure 5-3


In a multitiered client/server network, client requests for service are handled by different levels of servers.


Storage, Input, and Output TechnologyStorage, Input, and Output Technology


• Primary secondary storage technologies• Magnetic disk:

• Hard drives, USB flash drives

• Solid state drives (SSDs)

• Optical disks

• CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-RW

• Magnetic tape

• Storage networking: SANs

• Connect multiple storage devices on a separate high-speed network dedicated to storage



A Storage Area Network (SAN)A Storage Area Network (SAN)


Figure 5-4

A typical SAN consists of a server, storage devices, and networking devices, and is used strictly for storage. The SAN stores data on many different types of storage devices, providing data to the enterprise. The SAN supports communication between any server and the storage unit as well as between different storage devices in the network.



Storage, Input, and Output TechnologyStorage, Input, and Output Technology


• Input devices:• Gather data and convert them into electronic form.

• Keyboard, computer mouse, touch screen, pen-based input, optical character recognition, magnetic ink character recognition, digital scanner, audio input, sensors

• Output devices:• Display data after they have been processed

• Monitor (flat-panel, CRT)

• Printer (impact, nonimpact)

• Audio output



Contemporary Hardware TrendsContemporary Hardware Trends


• The mobile digital platform

• Mobile devices, smartphone

• Netbooks and tablet computers

• E-book readers

• Consumerization of IT

• New technology that emerges in consumer market spreads into business organizations

• BYOD (bring your own device): business use of personal mobile devices





• Nanotechnology

• Uses individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices thousands for times smaller than current technologies

• Quantum computing

• Uses principles of quantum physics to represent data and perform operations on the data

• Enables processing times that are millions of times faster than current high-speed processing



Examples of NanotubesExamples of Nanotubes


Figure 5-5

Nanotubes are tiny tubes about 10,000 times thinner than a human hair. They consist of rolled up sheets of carbon hexagons, have potential uses as minuscule wires or in ultrasmall electronic devices, and are very powerful conductors of electrical current.





• Virtualization

• Process of presenting a set of computing resources so they can be accessed in ways that are unrestricted by physical configuration or geographic location

• Enables single physical resource to appear to the user as multiple resources

• Enables companies to host multiple systems on single machine





• Cloud computing:

• A model of computing in which firms and individuals obtain computing resources over the Internet

• Cloud infrastructure as a service

• Cloud platform as a service

• Cloud software as a service

• Public vs. private clouds

• Utility computing, on-demand computing

• Data storage security is in hands of provider



Cloud Computing PlatformCloud Computing Platform


Figure 5-6

In cloud computing, hardware and software capabilities are provided as services over the Internet. Businesses and employees have access to applications and IT infrastructure anywhere at any time using an Internet-connected device.





• Green computing

• Practices and technologies for designing, making,

using, and disposing of computer hardware to

reduce environmental impact

• Key priority is power reduction

• IT in United States provides 2% of U.S. power

demand and 2% of world’s greenhouse gases



• Read the Interactive Session and then discuss the following questions:

• What business and social problems does data center power consumption cause?

• What solutions are available for these problems? Are they people, organizational, or technology solutions?

• What are the business benefits and costs of these solutions?

• Should all firms move toward green computing? Why or why not?

Interactive Session: OrganizationsInteractive Session: OrganizationsThe Greening of the Data CenterThe Greening of the Data Center






• High-performance and power-saving processors• Multicore processor:

• Integrated circuit with two or more processors • Enhanced performance and reduced power

consumption• Power-efficient processors

• Low power consumption essential in mobile computing.





• Autonomic computing:

• Development of systems that can

configure themselves, heal

themselves; for example, self-

updating antivirus software



The Major Types of SoftwareThe Major Types of Software

IT Infrastructure: Computer Software

Figure 5-7

The relationship among the system software, application software, and users can be illustrated by a series of nested boxes. System software—consisting of operating systems, language translators, and utility programs—controls access to the hardware. Application software, including programming languages and “fourth-generation” languages, must work through the system software to operate. The user interacts primarily with the application software.



• The software that controls computer activities

• GUIs and multitouch

• PC operating systems• Windows (Windows 8)

• Mac (OSX Lion)

• UNIX

• Linux (open source)

• Mobile operating systems• Chrome, Android, iOS

Operating System SoftwareOperating System Software




Application Software and Desktop Productivity ToolsApplication Software and Desktop Productivity Tools

• Programming languages for business

• C

• C++: newer, object-oriented version of C

• Visual Basic: Visual programming language for MS Windows applications

• Java: OS-independent object-oriented programming language

• Migrated to mobile applications, game machines, cable TV systems

• Java Virtual Machine




Application Software and Desktop Productivity ToolsApplication Software and Desktop Productivity Tools

• Software packages and desktop productivity tools

• Word processing software

• Spreadsheet software

• Data management software

• Presentation graphics

• Software suites

• Web browsers




Spreadsheet SoftwareSpreadsheet Software


Figure 5-8

Spreadsheet software organizes data into columns and rows for analysis and manipulation. Contemporary spreadsheet software provides graphing abilities for a clear, visual representation of the data in the spreadsheets. This sample break-even analysis is represented as numbers in a spreadsheet as well as a line graph for easy interpretation.



• Hypertext markup language (HTML):• Page description language for specifying how

elements are placed on a Web page and for creating links to other pages and objects

• HTML5• Next evolution of HTML• Enables multimedia embedding without 3rd

party add-ons such as Flash

HTML and HTML5HTML and HTML5




• Web services: • Software components that exchange information

with one another using universal Web communication standards and languages

• XML (eXtensible Markup Language)• Foundation of Web services

• Service oriented architecture (SOA)• Collection of services used to build an

organization’s software systems

Web ServicesWeb Services




How Dollar Rent-A-Car Uses Web ServicesHow Dollar Rent-A-Car Uses Web Services


Figure 5-9

Dollar Rent-A-Car uses Web services to provide a standard intermediate layer of software to “talk” to other companies’ information systems. Dollar Rent-A-Car can use this set of Web services to link to other companies’ information systems without having to build a separate link to each firm’s systems.



• Open source software• Linux, Apache

• Cloud-based software and tools

• SaaS (software as a service)

• Google Docs

• Mashups

• Zip Realty uses Google Maps and Zillow.com

• Apps

• Mobile apps

Software TrendsSoftware Trends




Managing Hardware and Software Technology

• Capacity planning• Process of predicting when hardware system becomes

saturated

• Ensuring firm has enough computing power for current and future needs

• Factors include: • Maximum number of users

• Impact of current, future software

• Performance measures

• Scalability: ability of system to expand to serve large number of users without breaking down


Capacity Planning and ScalabilityCapacity Planning and Scalability



• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model

• Used to analyze direct and indirect costs to help determine the actual cost of owning a specific technology

• Direct costs: hardware, software purchase costs

• Indirect costs: ongoing administration costs, upgrades, maintenance, technical support, training, utility, and real estate costs

• Hidden costs: support staff, downtime, additional network management

• TCO can be reduced through increased centralization, standardization of hardware and software resources.




• Using technology service providers

• Outsourcing

• Using external provider to:• Run networks.• Host, manage Web site(s).• Develop software (offshore software

outsourcing).• Manage IT infrastructures.

• Requires Service Level Agreements (SLAs)




• Using cloud services

• Small businesses “rent” infrastructure from provider to avoid expenses of maintaining hardware and software on their own.

• Hybrid cloud computing model

• Managing mobile platforms

• Balancing gains in productivity from using mobile devices with expenses of equipping employees with these devices

• Mobile device management (MDM) software




• Managing software localization for global business• Local language interfaces

• English not typically standard at middle, lower levels

• Interfaces are complex: menu bars, error messages, online forms, search results, and so on

• Differences in local cultures• Differences in business processes

• All of these factors add to TCO of using technology service providers



Interactive Session: PeopleInteractive Session: PeopleThe Pleasures and Pitfalls of BYODThe Pleasures and Pitfalls of BYOD


• Read the Interactive Session and then discuss the following questions:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing employees to use their personal smartphones for work?

• What people, organization, and technology issues should be addressed when deciding whether to allow employees to use personal smartphones for work?

• Compare the BYOD experiences of IBM and Intel. Why did BYOD at Intel work so well?

• Allowing employees to use their own smartphones for work will save the company money. Do you agree? Why or why not?



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5.1 Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 5 Chapter IT Infrastructure: Hardware and Software